Self and francis w



2 Sheets-Sheet l.-

(No Modem V M. V. B. ETHRIDGE.

Boot and Shoe Sewing Machine.

Patented April 12,1881.-

N. PETERS, PHOYO-LITHQGRAPHER, WASNINGTQN, MC

' (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. v. B} BTHBQ IDG'E. Boot and Shoesewing Machine. No. 239,946. Patented April 12, I881.

Inventbr.

Martin V5. mw zz g.

N.PETERS. PNOTO LITHOERABHER WASHINGTON: D C. I

MARTIN V. B. ETHRIDGE, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIG SELF AND FRANCIS W. BREED, OF SAME PLACE.

PATENT Oriana.

BOOT AND SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 239,946, dated April 12, 1881.

' Application filed July 2, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN V. B. ETH- RIDGE, of Lynn, of the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Boot and Shoe Sewing Machines, such invention havin special reference to the well-known McKay Sewing-Machine, and I do hereby declare the improvement to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure l is a top view, Fig. 2 a front elevation, and Figs. 3 and 4 opposite side elevations, of the frame and sundryparts of a McKay sewingmachine with 'my invention applied thereto, the nature of such invention being defined in the claims hereinafter presented.

In such drawings the frame of the machine is shown at A, and the work-sustaining arm, or horn, as it is commonly termed, at B, the needle bar or carrier at O, the presser-bar at D, and the cast-off rod at E. i

The first part of the mechanism to be described is for varying the movement of the needle to cause it to draw each stitch a like distance above the sole, as the latter may vary in its thickness.

In the drawings I have not shown the needle or the presser-foot, as they are to be applied to their bars and to be arranged in the usual and well-known manner, the said bars being represented in part.

From a collar, a, fixed on the presser-bar by a clamp-screw, Z), a fork, 0, projects, and has extending between its prongs an arm, d, that turns vertically upon a stud, e, projecting from a slider, f, arranged upon a stationary vertical rod, g, and held in place thereon by a setscrew, h.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the arm 61 and another arm, 6, which also turns on the Stud 0,

jection, k, for a stud, l, of the arm d to rest andextends down therefrom, and has a proupon. A spring, 022, is fixed to the arm 4', and is extended upward, over, and down upon the arm at. r 1

In the lower part of the arm '6 there is a slot, n, to receive a stud, 0, projectin g from a rack, 10, adapted to slide rectilinearly. This rack engages with a pinion, q, whose upper surface is beveled or inclined, as shown at 1*. A top view of the rack and pinion is given in Fig. 6, a side View of the pinion being shown in. Fig. 7. On this beveled part of the pinion there rests a projection, s, from a collar, t,fixe d on a ver-gtic-ally-inovable fulcrum-post, a, which extends down through the eye of the pinion, such pinion bein gfree to revolve on the post. An adjustable collar, 4;, applied to the post below the plate to of the frame, and provided with a set-screw, it", serves with the plate, to limit the rise of the fulcrum-post and the fall or depression of the needle.

There is fulcru med to the upper part of post u'a' lever, y, whose front arm is joined to the needle-bar by a connecting-rod, z, jointed to the lever and the bar. An eccentric yoke, a, jointed to the rear arm of the said lever, works on an eccentric, I), fixed on the main shaft 0'.

It will be seen from the above that as the sole of the shoe while being sewed may grow thinner the presser-foot will be correspondingly depressed, and the arm 01 also will be moved down and will cause the arm i to move on the stude, so as to move the rack 1), whereby the pinion will be revolved in a direction to allow the fulcrum-post u to descend to the extent that may be necessary for the needle, in ascending, to draw the loop tothe proper distance above the sole; but should the sole in crease in thickness the reverse effect will follow. It should be stated, however, that for this'to be accomplished the spring m should, press the arm at downward with a sufficient ,force to prevent it from rising without moving the arm t to cause a retraction of the rack. The object of having the arm d movable onthe stud 6 independently of the arm i is to allow of the presser being raised to admit of the shoe being fed along the length of a stitch, at which time the pinion is held stationary by the downward pressure upon it of the projection 8. While the pinion is in the act of being turned by the rack the said projection s is not in contact with the pinion, and the spring on, as stated, bears with sufficient force upon the arm 61 to cause it, when moved upward by the fork, to move the arm 6, and the latter to move therack and the pinion to be revolved ther'cbytothe necessary extent.

NOR TO HIM- When it may be desirable to obtain a different speed for the pinion than that which would result by the rack engaging directly with it, one or more gears intervening between them may be used so, instead of having the pinion provided with a beveled top or surface, as described,it may screw on the fulcrum-post, in order for the pinion when revolved to rise or fall on and relatively to the said post as occasion may require.

In practice the presser is forced downward against the sole by means of a spring, and to enable the boot or shoe to be placed on the horn the presser is raised by a lever. The spring holds the presser down against the upward draft of the needle; but preparatory to each feeding movement of the shoe or each descent of the needle the presser has to be raised upward against the power of the spring, such being to enable the shoe to be moved the necessary distance by the feeder. The raising of the presser and retaining itso raised the proper period of time are effected by a forked lever, d, which is generally operated intermittently or reciprocated by a grooved cam suitably'applied to it. This lever has prongs to embrace the presser-bar and to extend both above and below a ratchet-nut, e, that screws on a screwthread formed on the presser-bar, all of which is old and substantially as shown in the United States Patents Nos. 36,163 and 45,422.

Furthermore, there has to be applied to the nut a device or mechanism for looking it or holding it from revolving on the presser-bar while the lever is operating to move the said bar, the nut being .free to revolve on the bar at other times in order for the spring to depress the pressor down upon the sole. In being forced down by the spring the presser will adapt itself to the sole as the latter may vary in thickness, the nut revolving on its screw and between the prongs of the lever as the presser may be so depressed by the spring. On the nut being locked or prevented from so revolving the presser will be moved vertically upward by the lever and its operative cam.

I have for effecting the locking of the nut means or mechanism different from what is shown in either of the said patents and much simpler, such consistin g of a lever-pawl, f, and an operative cam, g, and spring h, arranged as shown, a top view of them being given in Fig. 8, and a side elevation of them in Fig. 9, such figures also showing the ratchet-nut and the presser.

The fulcrum of the pawl-lever is represented at t" as projecting down from an arm, is, applied to a stationary post, 1. The cam consists of a wheel, m, and two adjustable arcs, n 0, arranged on one side of such wheel, as shown, and held to it by screws 19 going through slots q in the arcs. These arcs are beveled for a stud, r, in the lever to pass easily from one to and upon the other of them,

the cam serving to intermittently move the pawl-lever up to the ratchet-nut. The spring effects a counter movement of the lever While the stud of the latter may be moving in the space 8 between the two arcs n 0. By having the two arcs adjustable on the wheel they may be set or adjusted to operate the lever at the proper time or times.

The next part of the mechanism to be described is that for giving to the cast-off its proper movements relatively to the hook of the needle, the rod of such cast-off being shown at E, as hereinbefore mentioned. On the needle starting to descend, the lower end of the cast-off is usually about a fourth of an inch above the hook ot' the needle, such being to allow the loop to pass out of the hook, and

both needle and cast-off to pass down through the loop during the descent of the cast-oft with the needle. The needle and cast-off descend together until the cast-0E meets and rests on the sole, after which the needle continues its descent through the sole, and on receiving the thread the needle next rises up and draws it, in the form of a loop, up through the loop around the needle and cast-off. During the remainder of the ascent of the needle the cast-oft is drawn up to its first-named position.

To effect the movements of the cast-oft and its intervals of rest 1 make use of two stationary arms, t u, a two-armed lever, 11, a three-armed lever, to, and a spring, as, all formed and arranged as represented. The stationary arms t a are fixed to the head of the fulcrum-post u. The two-armed lever 'v and the tri-armed lever 10 are fulcrumed to the lever y, and the spring 00 is coiled around the fulcrum z of the tri-armed lever, and bears with friction againstthe lever and the head of its fulcrum. On the needle descending, the rear arm of the lever u will be carried by the lever 31 against the lower of the arms t a, whereby such lever 12 will be moved on its fulcrum, so as to depress the cast-off and force it down upon the sole. The lever y, in forcing down the needle, causes the upper arm of the tri-armed lever w to be borne against the upper of the two arms t" a, whereby the triarmed lever will be turned on its fulcrum, so as to cause the shortest arm of the said tria-rmed lever to bear upon the front arm of the two-armed lever and hold such lever stationary while the needle passes into and rises out of the sole. On the needle ascending farther the shorter arm of the tri-armed lever, as well as the rear arm of the two-armed lever, will be borne against the upper of the two arms t u, and as a consequence the cast-off will be set free to rise, and will be raised with the needle to the necessary distance above the hook of the latter. The friction-spring x is to hold the tri-armed lever from'accidentally slipping out of position when bearing upon the two-armed lever.

The next part of my invention to be described is that for imparting reciprocating r0- tary motion to the vertical shaft of the whirl by which the thread is laid on the hook of the needle.

There are usually in the horn of a McKay ioo sewing-machine one inclined and one horizontal shaft, they having connecting bevelgears, and the horizontal shaft being geared to a vertical driving-shaft by other bevel-gears. To the lower part of such driving-shaft I fix a bevel-gear, a, that engages with a bevel-gear, b, fixed on a horizontal shaft, 0. This latter shaft, by means of bevel-gears d 6, enengages with a vertical shaft, f, arranged as shown, and having fixed to it at its upper end a spur gear or pinion, g, to engage with a slide-rack, h, that is duly supported to-slide rectilinearly, and is provided with a stud, i, to enter the groove 70" of a cam, l, fixed on the driving-shaft of the machine. During each revolution of such cam a reciprocating rectilinearniotion will beimparted to the rack, and consequently a reciprocating rotary motion will likewise be imparted to the bevel-gear a, the whole being, in consequence of such, re-

ciprocated.

What 1 claim as myinvention is as follows, viz: y

1. The combination, substantially as described, with the fulcrum-post u, pressure-bar D, and vertical rod 9, of the fork 0, arms d and i, stud Z, spring m, journal 0, rack 10, pinion q, provided with its incline r, and the projection s, the said projection being extended from a collar aflixed to the fulcrum-post, and all being arranged and adapted to operate essentially as and for the purpose or purposes set forth. 7

2. The combination, substantially as described, with the ratchet-nut of the pressure, of the wheel m and its adjustable arcs n o, the lever-pawl f, and the spring h, all being arranged and adapted to efi'ect the locking of the said ratchet-nut, as explained.

3. The combination, substantially as described, with the cast-off rod E and with the lever y and the fulcrum-post and its head u, of the stationary arms t u, the two-armed lever 11, the three-armed lever w, and the spring in, all being arranged essentially as set forth.

\Vitnesses R.- H. 'EDDY, W. .WQLUNT. 

